Leonard Fournette on Derrius Guice: ‘He was never in my shadow’

Leonard Fournette wants to make something very clear: Derrius Guice was never in his shadow.

The two star running backs were both on LSU’s roster for the previous years. While Fournette drew a ton of national attention, Guice was able to carve out a solid role for himself. He’s led the SEC in yards per carry in each of the last two years. Guice also led the SEC in rushing last year, topping Fournette’s 2016 mark.

Guice was named preseason first-team All-SEC this year and is expected to have a big year in Matt Canada’s offense. If those two work well together, Guice has a shot at besting Fournette’s mark of 1,953 rushing yards, which he rushed for in 2015.

A strong season also could put Guice in a great position to be picked high in the 2018 NFL Draft. Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars took Fournette with the No. 4 pick in the first round of the draft.

Guice and the Tigers open the 2017 season on Sept. 2 against BYU in Houston.